Tropes
Understanding Literary Tropes & Clichés
Welcome to our reference guide for common storytelling tropes and clichés. The list below contains definitions for many of the narrative patterns we frequently identify during our manuscript analyses. Use this page to better understand these conventions and how they function in a story.
Tropes: Tools, Not Rules
It's a common misconception that tropes are inherently bad or a sign of lazy writing. In reality, tropes are the building blocks of storytelling. They are recognizable plot elements, character archetypes, or narrative structures that act as a kind of shared language between the writer and the reader, creating familiar entry points and satisfying genre expectations. A "love triangle" isn't bad; a predictable and poorly motivated love triangle is.
The challenge lies not in avoiding tropes, but in using them with awareness and intention. A well-used trope feels fresh and resonant, while an unexamined one can feel like a cliché.
What to Look Out For When Using Tropes
As you write and revise, keep these points in mind to ensure your use of tropes is effective:
- Execution and Originality: How can you make a familiar pattern feel new? Consider combining a trope with another in an unexpected way, placing it in an unusual setting, or giving it a unique voice through your character's specific perspective and internal conflict.
- Awareness and Intention: A trope used consciously can be subverted, celebrated, or deconstructed for great effect. A trope used unconsciously, however, often feels like a formulaic cliché. Ask yourself why you are using this trope and what purpose it serves in your story.
- Character-Driven vs. Plot-Driven: Ensure the trope serves the character's journey, not the other way around. A character's actions should feel motivated by their personality and history, not simply because the trope's formula demands it.
- Subversion and Surprise: Don't be afraid to set up a familiar trope only to twist or subvert the reader's expectations. Leading the reader down a familiar path before revealing an unexpected turn can be a powerful storytelling technique.
About This List
The list below is not exhaustive; it is a compilation of tropes and clichés that have appeared frequently in the manuscripts we've analyzed. For a much more comprehensive, community-driven database of every imaginable trope, we highly recommend visiting TV Tropes.
That being said, here are the tropes we most frequently identify in manuscripts we analyze!
Action Girl
An Action Girl is a female character defined by her exceptional physical prowess and combat skills, often serving as a key fighter or hero who actively participates in or leads the story's physical conflicts.
Affably Evil
An Affably Evil antagonist presents a friendly, charming, or polite exterior while committing morally reprehensible acts, creating an unsettling contrast that highlights their underlying menace and manipulative nature.
AI Assistance
AI Assistance is a plot device where an advanced artificial intelligence provides crucial information, solves complex problems, or operates technology to aid the protagonists, often functioning as a futuristic mentor, guide, or deus ex machina.
Aimless Drifter
An Aimless Drifter is a character, often a protagonist, who wanders without a clear purpose or destination, embodying themes of disillusionment, existential searching, or a break from a traumatic past.
Arranged Marriage / Rebellious Bride
The Arranged Marriage trope is a plot centered on a marriage orchestrated for political or social gain, often featuring a reluctant or defiant bride whose struggle against the union drives the central conflict and explores themes of agency versus duty.
The Asset
The Asset is a character, often with special skills or knowledge, who is treated by others as a valuable tool or resource to be controlled, protected, or exploited, rather than as a person with their own agency.
Back From the Dead / Return From Presumed Dead
Back From the Dead is a dramatic plot twist where a character believed to be deceased reappears, drastically altering the emotional landscape and plot dynamics for the other characters who have already mourned them.
Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast is a romance trope in which a gentle, kind character falls in love with a monstrous, cursed, or emotionally scarred individual, ultimately seeing the inner goodness beneath their forbidding exterior.
The Best Friend Counselor
The Best Friend Counselor is a supporting character whose primary role is to offer advice, support, and a listening ear to the protagonist, often acting as a sounding board for their problems and helping to articulate the story's emotional themes.
Bittersweet Freedom
Bittersweet Freedom is a narrative outcome where characters achieve a long-sought freedom, but it comes at a great cost or is immediately complicated by new, harsh realities, subverting a simple "happily ever after" victory.
Blood Witches
Blood Witches are a specific type of magic-user whose power is derived from blood, either their own or others', often used to create a darker, more visceral, and taboo form of magic within the story's world.
Bookish / Learned Slave
A Bookish or Learned Slave is an archetypal character in historical fiction who, despite being enslaved, possesses literacy and knowledge, using their intellect as a form of resistance, a tool for empowerment, or a symbol of their uncrushable spirit.
By-the-Book Cop
A By-the-Book Cop is a law enforcement character who rigidly adheres to rules and procedures, often creating conflict with a more maverick partner or a morally complex situation that challenges their rigid worldview.
Byronic Hero
A Byronic Hero is a charismatic, intelligent, and brooding anti-hero who is haunted by a dark past, often exhibiting arrogance, cynicism, and self-destructive tendencies while still possessing a capacity for deep passion.
Calm Before the Storm
The Calm Before the Storm is a narrative technique where a period of peace, happiness, or quiet reflection is presented immediately before a major crisis or disaster, serving to heighten the dramatic impact and tension of the impending conflict.
Capable Sibling / Sidekick
A Capable Sibling or Sidekick is a supporting character who is highly competent and resourceful, providing practical skills and support that complement the hero's own abilities.
Chase Sequences
A Chase Sequence is an action-oriented plot device involving a sustained pursuit between characters, used to create immediate tension, suspense, and physical stakes.
Childhood Friends to Lovers
Childhood Friends to Lovers is a romantic trope where two characters who have known each other since childhood gradually develop romantic feelings, with their shared history providing a deep foundation for their relationship and often a source of unique conflicts.
Childhood Sweetheart
A Childhood Sweetheart is a character who was the protagonist's first love during their youth, often reappearing later in life to create romantic conflict, nostalgia, or a "what if" scenario.
The Chosen One / Heir as 'Chosen One'
The Chosen One is a protagonist who is destined by prophecy, birthright, or a higher power to fulfill a specific, crucial role, such as saving the world or claiming a throne, often against their own initial reluctance.
Chosen Family (That is Perfect)
The Chosen Family trope is where a group of unrelated characters form a deep, supportive, and often idealized family-like bond, providing emotional sanctuary and mutual aid in contrast to their biological families or a hostile world.
City of Love as a Transformative Setting
The City of Love as a Transformative Setting is the use of a stereotypically romantic city, like Paris, as a backdrop where characters expect love to blossom or relationships to be healed, often subverted when the setting only highlights their existing problems.
Colorism Trope
The Colorism Trope is a narrative element that explores social or personal prejudice based on the shade of a person's skin tone within the same racial group, often used to critique internalized biases and societal hierarchies.
Coming-of-Age Ceremony / Initiation
A Coming-of-Age Ceremony is a ritual or event that marks a character's transition from childhood to adulthood, often serving as a major plot point that tests their readiness and formally introduces them to new responsibilities or dangers.
Community Building
Community Building is a narrative focus on a group of characters working together to establish a new society or functional community, exploring themes of cooperation, governance, and survival.
Con Man with a Heart of Gold
A Con Man with a Heart of Gold is an anti-hero who lives by deceit but ultimately possesses a moral code or a soft spot that leads them to do the right thing when it truly matters.
Conspiracy Unveiled
Conspiracy Unveiled is a plot structure where the protagonist slowly uncovers a hidden, large-scale plot orchestrated by powerful and secretive individuals or groups, driving the story's mystery and sense of paranoia.
Convenient Class Mobility / Resolution
Convenient Class Mobility is a plot device where a character's lower social or economic class, a major source of conflict, is easily resolved, often through a convenient inheritance, a noble's patronage, or marriage.
Convenient Coincidence / Convenient Escape
A Convenient Coincidence is a plot point that relies on improbable chance or luck to resolve a conflict, rescue a character from a dire situation, or provide them with a crucial item or piece of information.
Crone / Mentor
A Crone or Mentor is an archetypal wise old woman who offers guidance, cryptic advice, or magical assistance to the protagonist, embodying ancient wisdom and often challenging the hero with her blunt or unconventional nature.
The Curse / Protagonist Is Cursed
The Curse is a supernatural affliction placed upon a character or location that brings misfortune, dictates their fate, or creates a central problem that the protagonist must find a way to break.
'Cute Animal in Peril' Domestic Tension
The 'Cute Animal in Peril' trope is a plot device where a beloved pet or innocent animal is placed in danger to quickly generate emotional stakes, reveal a character's true nature, or escalate a domestic or personal conflict.
Damsel in Distress
A Damsel in Distress is a character, typically female, who is rendered helpless and must be rescued by a heroic figure, serving as a motivator for the hero's actions and a goal for their quest.
Dark and Brooding Duke / Hero
The Dark and Brooding Duke is a popular historical romance archetype of a high-status male protagonist who is moody, mysterious, and often haunted by a tragic past, making his eventual emotional vulnerability all the more impactful.
Dark Night of the Soul
The Dark Night of the Soul is a point in a character's journey, usually after a major failure, where they hit rock bottom, confronting their deepest fears and despair before finding a new resolve or understanding.
Dating App Misadventures
Dating App Misadventures is a contemporary trope depicting the humorous, awkward, or disastrous experiences of a character trying to find love or companionship through modern dating applications.
Dating Montage
A Dating Montage is a narrative sequence that uses a series of short clips to quickly show a character going on numerous, often unsuccessful or comical, dates to illustrate their search for a partner.
Dead Parent(s)
The Dead Parent(s) trope is a common character backstory element where the absence of one or more parents serves as a primary motivator, source of trauma, or plot convenience that forces the protagonist into independence.
The Deal (e.g., a bargain for a second chance)
The Deal is a plot device where characters agree to a specific set of terms or a time-limited challenge to resolve a conflict, such as a hero being given a set amount of time to win back a lover's trust.
Deus Ex Machina
Deus Ex Machina is an unexpected and often contrived event, character, or object that suddenly appears to resolve an otherwise unsolvable problem for the protagonists, a term often used critically for unearned resolutions.
Disgraced Hero
A Disgraced Hero is a once-respected character who has lost their honor or reputation due to a past failure or betrayal, with their story often revolving around a quest for redemption.
Disposable Woman (Subverted)
A subversion of the Disposable Woman trope is a narrative that initially presents a female character as if her purpose is to be harmed to motivate a male protagonist, but then gives her agency and a crucial role that impacts the plot in her own right.
Dream Sequence Foreshadowing
Dream Sequence Foreshadowing is the use of a character's dream or nightmare to provide symbolic, cryptic, or direct clues about future events, a character's hidden fears, or unresolved past trauma.
Dramatic Courtroom / Legal Reversal
A Dramatic Courtroom Reversal is a climactic scene in a legal proceeding where a surprise witness, a piece of damning evidence, or a clever legal maneuver dramatically turns the tide of the case, leading to an unexpected verdict.
Emotionally Distant Genius / Intellect
An Emotionally Distant Genius is a highly intelligent character who struggles with or avoids emotional connection, often seeing the world through a lens of logic and systems, which creates conflict in their personal relationships.
Emotionally Unavailable Man / Partner
An Emotionally Unavailable Partner is a character who resists emotional intimacy and vulnerability, often due to past trauma or a fear of commitment, creating the central challenge in a romantic relationship.
Enemies-to-Lovers
Enemies-to-Lovers is a romantic trope where two characters who initially despise or are in direct opposition to each other gradually develop romantic feelings as they are forced to interact and see beyond their initial animosity.
'Endgame' Partner
In a story with multiple romantic interests, the 'Endgame' Partner is the character the audience or protagonist ultimately sees as the "one true love" or final romantic partner, with the narrative arc building towards their union.
Estranged Father/Son Reconciliation
An Estranged Father/Son Reconciliation is a character-driven subplot focused on a father and son repairing their broken or distant relationship, often by confronting past hurts, misunderstandings, and differing values.
Ethically Non-Monogamous Partner
An Ethically Non-Monogamous Partner is a character who practices or is open to consensual, non-exclusive relationships, often introducing themes of modern relationship structures, communication, and jealousy into the narrative.
Evil for Evil's Sake
An Evil for Evil's Sake antagonist is a villain who commits malicious acts without any discernible or sympathetic motivation beyond a simple desire for power, destruction, or chaos.
Evil Race / Species
An Evil Race or Species is a fantasy or sci-fi trope where an entire species of beings is depicted as inherently malevolent, often serving as a monolithic antagonistic force for the heroes to fight.
Evil Sorcerer
An Evil Sorcerer is a classic fantasy antagonist who wields powerful, often dark magic to achieve their goals of conquest, immortality, or destruction.
Evil Stepmother
An Evil Stepmother is an archetypal villain, common in fairy tales, who is cruel and malicious towards her stepchildren, often driven by jealousy, greed, or a desire to favor her own offspring.
Evil Tyrant
An Evil Tyrant is a ruthless and oppressive ruler who governs through fear, violence, and absolute control, serving as the primary antagonist whose overthrow is often the main goal of the story.
Exotic India (Setting Trope)
The Exotic India setting trope is the portrayal of India in a way that emphasizes stereotypical or romanticized imagery of spirituality, poverty, and ancient mysticism, often oversimplifying its cultural complexity to serve as an exotic backdrop.
Excessive Exposition in Dialogue
Excessive Exposition in Dialogue is a narrative flaw where characters' conversations are unnaturally filled with backstory or plot information for the sole benefit of the audience, rather than serving as realistic conversation.
Facade / Performer Archetype
The Facade or Performer Archetype is a character who presents a carefully constructed public persona to hide their true self or secret activities, with the narrative often exploring the tension between their mask and their inner reality.
Fake Relationship
A Fake Relationship is a plot where two characters pretend to be in a romantic relationship for mutual benefit, only to develop genuine feelings for each other in the process.
Farm Boy with a Destiny
The Farm Boy with a Destiny is a classic hero archetype who starts as a humble, ordinary person from a rural background, only to discover they have a hidden lineage or a grand destiny to save the world.
'Fatal Flaw' Trope
The 'Fatal Flaw' trope is the central character weakness in a protagonist that, despite their strengths, leads to their downfall or creates their greatest struggles, a concept originating from Greek tragedy.
Father-Son Reconciliation
Father-Son Reconciliation is a subplot centered on a father and son overcoming years of conflict, distance, or misunderstanding to forge a new, healthier relationship.
Femme Fatale
A Femme Fatale is an alluring, mysterious, and seductive female character who ensnares the protagonist in a web of danger and intrigue, often leading to his downfall.
Fish Out of Water
A Fish Out of Water story is one in which the protagonist is placed in a completely unfamiliar environment or culture, with the conflict and humor arising from their struggle to adapt.
Forced Misunderstanding
A Forced Misunderstanding is a plot device where conflict is generated by characters failing to communicate clearly or by one character misinterpreting a situation that could be easily resolved with a simple conversation.
Forced Proximity
Forced Proximity is a situation that physically traps two characters, often romantic interests who are in conflict, together in a confined space, forcing them to confront their issues and feelings.
Foreign Love Affair
A Foreign Love Affair is a romance that takes place while a character is in a foreign country, often using the exotic setting and cultural differences to heighten the sense of escapism, passion, and temporary freedom.
Found Family
A Found Family is a group of unrelated characters who choose to form their own supportive, family-like unit, often because their biological families are absent, dysfunctional, or have rejected them.
Freedom Suit Narrative
A Freedom Suit Narrative is a historical fiction trope based on real legal cases where an enslaved person sues for their freedom in court, often based on a claim of Indigenous or white ancestry or having lived in a free state.
Fridging
Fridging is a problematic trope where a character, typically female, is harmed, killed, or depowered primarily to serve as a motivation for a male protagonist's character arc, reducing her to a plot device.
Friends-to-Lovers
Friends-to-Lovers is a romantic arc where two long-standing platonic friends gradually realize they have deeper, romantic feelings for each other, with their relationship evolving from friendship to love.
Genius Kids
The Genius Kids trope features children or teenagers with extraordinary intelligence who can solve complex scientific, technical, or strategic problems that stump adults, often serving as convenient problem-solvers in the plot.
Good vs. Evil
Good vs. Evil is a fundamental conflict structure that pits morally righteous heroes against malevolent villains, with the story's primary struggle being the triumph of virtue over corruption.
Good Servants Inexplicably Loyal
The Good Servants Inexplicably Loyal cliche is one in which domestic staff show unwavering, often self-sacrificial, loyalty to their employers, even when it goes against their own self-interest or common sense.
Grand Gestures
A Grand Gesture is an action in a romance where one character performs a large, public, or dramatic act to prove their love, apologize, or win back their partner.
Grief Response Cliche
The Grief Response Cliche is the predictable portrayal of a grieving character's behavior, such as a man immediately turning to heavy drinking and gambling after a loss, which follows a familiar rather than personalized path.
Grieving Widow
A Grieving Widow is a character archetype whose journey begins with the loss of their spouse, with the plot focusing on their process of mourning, healing, and rebuilding their life.
Gruff Mentor / Swordsman
A Gruff Mentor or Swordsman is an experienced and often bad-tempered teacher, typically a master of combat, who reluctantly takes on a young protagonist and trains them through harsh methods and blunt advice.
Gruff Military Figure
A Gruff Military Figure is a stock character in military or action stories who is strict, follows regulations to the letter, and often clashes with the more unconventional protagonist, embodying institutional authority.
Guarded Beauty / Guarded Heart
A Guarded Beauty or Guarded Heart is a character, often an attractive heroine, who has built emotional walls to protect themselves from being hurt, with the romantic arc centered on the love interest slowly breaking through that defensive facade.
Happily Ever After (Qualified)
A Qualified Happily Ever After is a conclusion that provides a happy ending for the main characters but qualifies it with a touch of realism, acknowledging that challenges remain or that the happiness is hard-won and imperfect.
Harlot with a Heart of Gold
The Harlot with a Heart of Gold is an archetype of a female character, typically a prostitute or courtesan, who despite her profession is depicted as kind, noble, and morally superior to the "respectable" society that shuns her.
"He Sees Her True Beauty"
"He Sees Her True Beauty" is a romance trope where a love interest, often an artist or a deeply perceptive individual, is the only one who recognizes and appreciates the protagonist's inner beauty and worth, especially when she doesn't see it in herself.
"He's Hot and Complicated but He's The One"
"He's Hot and Complicated but He's The One" is a romantic trope where the ideal partner is portrayed as a physically attractive but emotionally difficult man, whose complexity is treated as part of his appeal and a challenge for the heroine to overcome.
Hero Acts Uncharacteristically Cruel
Hero Acts Uncharacteristically Cruel is a plot point where the heroic protagonist says or does something exceptionally mean, often to create a major relationship crisis or a low point from which they must redeem themselves.
Hero's Journey (Formulaic)
The Hero's Journey is a classic narrative structure where a hero goes on an adventure, wins a victory in a decisive crisis, and comes home changed, though its overuse can lead to predictability.
Hidden Document / Secret Society
The Hidden Document / Secret Society is a thriller or mystery plot revolving around a crucial, hidden document that could change the world, and the secret, often ancient, society that will kill to protect or obtain it.
Hidden Heritage / History
A Hidden Heritage or History is a plot twist revealing that a character has a secret ancestry, such as being a long-lost royal, which redefines their identity and role in the story.
Hidden Protector
A Hidden Protector is a character who secretly watches over and protects the protagonist from afar, often without their knowledge, with their identity and motivations typically being a source of mystery.
Hidden World Reveal
A Hidden World Reveal is a moment in the story where the protagonist discovers that a secret world of magic, monsters, or supernatural beings exists alongside their ordinary reality.
Hot But Unavailable Lover
A Hot But Unavailable Lover is a romantic interest who is intensely attractive to the protagonist but is emotionally or literally unavailable, creating a central source of angst and longing.
Hot Girl Summer
Hot Girl Summer is a contemporary cultural trope used in stories to signify a period of carefree fun, dating, and sexual liberation for a female character, often following a breakup or a period of self-repression.
House of Debauchery as Sanctuary
The House of Debauchery as Sanctuary is a setting trope where a place typically seen as morally corrupt, like a brothel or a gambling den, functions as a surprisingly safe and supportive haven for outcasts and the story's heroes.
"I Can't Be With You Because I'm Dangerous"
"I Can't Be With You Because I'm Dangerous" is a self-sacrificing romantic trope where a character pushes their love interest away, believing their own dangerous life or dark nature will only bring them harm.
Ineffectual Intellectual
An Ineffectual Intellectual is an archetypal character who is highly intelligent and well-read but lacks practical skills, common sense, or the courage to act, often serving as a comic foil or a cautionary figure.
Infertility Plot Device
The Infertility Plot Device is the use of a character's inability to conceive a child as a major plot point, creating emotional distress, marital strain, or the motivation for a quest or significant life decision.
Info Dump
An Info Dump is a narrative flaw where a large amount of exposition or backstory is delivered all at once, often through a long monologue or a chunk of text, which halts the story's momentum and feels unnatural.
Innocent Victim
An Innocent Victim is a character whose primary role is to suffer unjustly at the hands of an antagonist, generating sympathy from the reader and providing a strong moral motivation for the hero's quest for justice.
Inspirational Speeches
An Inspirational Speech is a climactic moment where a leader or hero delivers a rousing speech to their followers to boost morale, rally them for a final battle, or unify them behind a cause.
Instant Love / Love at First Sight
Instant Love is a romantic cliche where two characters fall deeply and irrevocably in love upon their very first meeting, bypassing a gradual development of their relationship.
Intense But Flawed Connection
An Intense But Flawed Connection is a romantic relationship characterized by powerful chemistry and passion, but which is ultimately unhealthy or unsustainable due to fundamental flaws, toxic dynamics, or incompatible attachment styles.
Jealous Ex-Lover
A Jealous Ex-Lover is an antagonist or obstacle in a romance plot whose jealousy over the protagonist's new relationship drives them to interfere, sabotage, or create conflict.
Kidnapped for Revenge
Kidnapped for Revenge is a plot where a character is abducted not for ransom, but as a direct act of vengeance against them or their family, making the stakes deeply personal.
Knowing Housekeeper
A Knowing Housekeeper is a stock character in historical or mystery fiction who, through years of quiet observation, possesses deep knowledge of a family's secrets and often provides cryptic clues or crucial assistance to the protagonist.
Knights Templar Connection
A Knights Templar Connection is a plot device in historical thrillers that links the central mystery to the legendary, secretive, and supposedly wealthy medieval order of the Knights Templar.
List of Lessons
A List of Lessons is a narrative cliche where the protagonist explicitly lists the morals they have learned, which can feel didactic and undermine the "show, don't tell" principle.
Locked-Out Heroine
A Locked-Out Heroine is a symbolic or literal scene where a female character is denied access to a space of power, knowledge, or opportunity, often used to illustrate systemic or institutional barriers.
The Loose Cannon
The Loose Cannon is a character on the hero's team who is reckless, unpredictable, and ignores rules or orders, often creating chaos and conflict but occasionally succeeding through their unorthodox methods.
Lost Generation
The Lost Generation is a literary trope referring to those who came of age during World War I, with stories often focusing on their disillusionment, cynicism, and aimless search for meaning in a postwar world.
Lost Heir
A Lost Heir is an archetypal character who is unaware of their noble or royal lineage until it is revealed, setting them on a path to reclaim their birthright and often challenging an illegitimate ruler.
Love Cures All
The Love Cures All trope is a simplistic plot device where the power of romantic love is presented as the ultimate solution to deep-seated problems like trauma, mental illness, or addiction.
Love Interest Moves On
The Love Interest Moves On is a plot point where the protagonist, often after a long absence, returns to find their love interest has entered a new relationship or married someone else, creating significant emotional conflict.
Love Triangle
A Love Triangle is a romantic conflict involving three people, typically where one character must choose between two potential partners who often represent different life paths or values.
Love Match vs. Arranged Matches
The Love Match vs. Arranged Matches trope is a central conflict, common in historical romance, between societal pressure to marry for status and the protagonist's desire to marry for genuine love.
Loyal Servant
A Loyal Servant is an archetypal supporting character who is steadfastly devoted to the protagonist, often providing assistance, comic relief, or a moral compass.
The MacGuffin
The MacGuffin is a plot device in the form of an object, goal, or piece of information that the characters are willing to do anything to obtain, whose primary function is to drive the plot forward without needing to be important in itself.
Magical Blockage (e.g., 'closed third eye')
A Magical Blockage is a trope where a character's innate magical ability is sealed or suppressed, with the plot often involving their journey to unlock or reclaim their true power.
Magical System (Late Reveal)
A Late Reveal of a Magical System is the introduction of a world's magic or a character's abilities late in the narrative, which can feel like a convenient invention to solve plot problems if not properly foreshadowed.
Manic Pixie Dream Girl / Boy
A Manic Pixie Dream Girl or Boy is a quirky, whimsical character who exists solely to teach a brooding or conventional protagonist how to embrace life, without having a developed inner life of their own.
The Married Man (Lover Archetype)
The Married Man is a romantic obstacle where the love interest is already married, creating a forbidden relationship centered on themes of infidelity, guilt, and moral conflict.
Mary Sue / Gary Stu
A Mary Sue or Gary Stu is a character who is unrealistically perfect, overly skilled, and universally beloved by other characters, often seen as a form of authorial self-insertion.
Meet-Cute
A Meet-Cute is a scene in which a future romantic couple first meets in a charming, unusual, or comical way.
Memoir Honesty Trope
The Memoir Honesty Trope is a convention in modern memoirs where the author uses radical, often uncomfortable, honesty and vulnerability to create a sense of authenticity and a raw connection with the reader.
Mentor Archetype
The Mentor Archetype is a recurring character type, often an older and wiser figure, who guides, trains, and advises the protagonist on their journey.
Miscarriage Reveal
A Miscarriage Reveal is a deeply emotional plot point where a character reveals they have had a past miscarriage, often used to explain deep-seated grief or create a powerful moment of shared vulnerability.
Misunderstanding / Miscommunication as Primary Conflict
Misunderstanding as Primary Conflict is a plot driven by a central miscommunication between characters that could be easily resolved with an honest conversation, but is prolonged to create drama.
Misunderstood Loner
A Misunderstood Loner is a character who is isolated from society and perceived as strange or dangerous, but is later revealed to be sensitive, noble, or simply different, with their true nature understood only by the protagonist.
Mistaken Identity
Mistaken Identity is a plot device where a character is wrongly believed to be someone else, leading to a series of comedic or dangerous complications until the truth is revealed.
The Mystic
The Mystic is an archetypal character who possesses spiritual wisdom, supernatural insight, or a connection to a higher power, often speaking in riddles and guiding the hero along a fated path.
Mysterious Catalyst
A Mysterious Catalyst is a character who appears at the beginning of a story to set the plot in motion, often by delivering a warning, a quest, or a mysterious object, and then disappears.
Mysterious Mentor
A Mysterious Mentor is a mentor figure whose true identity, motives, and the full extent of their knowledge are kept hidden, creating intrigue and forcing the protagonist to question whom they can trust.
Mysterious Note
A Mysterious Note is a plot device where an anonymous, often cryptic, note is used to deliver a threat, a clue, or a warning, creating suspense and driving the mystery.
Mysterious Past
A Mysterious Past is a character whose history is deliberately kept hidden from the reader and other characters, with gradual reveals about their past serving as a major source of plot twists and character development.
New Social Contract
A New Social Contract is a political or philosophical trope in post-apocalyptic stories where characters must deliberately create a new set of laws and principles to govern their new society.
Newly Divorced Woman Reclaiming Sexuality
The Newly Divorced Woman Reclaiming Sexuality trope is a common arc where a female protagonist explores her sexuality and personal agency after the end of a long-term relationship as part of her journey of self-discovery.
Noble-in-Disguise / Fake Servant
A Noble-in-Disguise is a character of high social standing who pretends to be a commoner or servant to hide their identity, gather information, or escape their responsibilities, with conflict arising from maintaining the ruse.
Noble Idiocy
Noble Idiocy is a trope where a character makes a decision that harms themselves and their loved ones, based on the misguided belief that they are protecting them, often by breaking off a relationship "for their own good."
Only One Bed
The Only One Bed trope is a romance plot device where two characters are forced to share a single bed due to circumstances, creating romantic and sexual tension in a confined, intimate space.
Opposites Attract
Opposites Attract is a romantic pairing of two characters with starkly contrasting personalities, values, or lifestyles, with their differences being the source of both initial conflict and eventual attraction.
Oppressive Noble / Patriarchal Society
An Oppressive Noble or Patriarchal Society is a world-building trope where the setting is governed by a rigid, unjust social hierarchy and rules that limit the freedom of most characters, especially women and commoners.
The Oracle
The Oracle is an archetypal character or entity that can see the future and delivers prophecies, which are often cryptic and guide or haunt the protagonist's journey.
Orphaned / Abandoned Protagonist
The Orphaned or Abandoned Protagonist is a common hero archetype whose lack of parents forces them into early independence, provides a mysterious backstory to uncover, and creates a deep-seated longing for family and belonging.
Paris as a Romantic Backdrop
Paris as a Romantic Backdrop is the specific use of Paris as a setting that automatically signifies romance, often used to either fulfill or ironically subvert the expectation that the location itself can create or fix a love story.
Passing Down the Story Trope
The Passing Down the Story Trope is a thematic device where an elder character entrusts the next generation with preserving and retelling their family or cultural history, emphasizing themes of legacy, memory, and identity.
Patient-Doctor Relationships
Patient-Doctor Relationships are dynamics that explore the professional and sometimes personal interactions between a patient and their medical provider, often used in medical dramas or memoirs to navigate themes of illness, trust, and vulnerability.
Perfect Partner Trope
The Perfect Partner Trope is the portrayal of a love interest who seems to be the ideal, "endgame" match for the protagonist, which is often subverted when this character is revealed to be unsuitable, forcing the protagonist to choose self-love instead.
Pining Hero
A Pining Hero is a character who secretly harbors deep, often unrequited, love for another character, with their story focused on their longing and the emotional turmoil of their unspoken feelings.
Plot Armor
Plot Armor is a narrative convention where a main character survives incredibly dangerous situations with little to no explanation, suggesting they are protected by their importance to the plot.
Post-Divorce Discovery Arc
A Post-Divorce Discovery Arc is a narrative structure that follows a protagonist's journey of rediscovering their identity, passions, and sense of self in the aftermath of a divorce.
Postwar Disillusionment
Postwar Disillusionment is a theme and mood in literature, particularly after major wars, where characters grapple with a sense of meaninglessness, trauma, and a cynical view of society.
The Potential 'One'
The Potential 'One' is a character introduced late in a romance or self-discovery narrative who represents a healthy, promising potential partner, often contrasting with the flawed or toxic relationships that came before.
Power in Pain
The Power in Pain trope is one where a character's greatest strength or ability is born directly from their deepest trauma or suffering, turning their source of pain into a source of power.
Power of Friendship
The Power of Friendship is a trope where the platonic love, loyalty, and combined strength of a group of friends is the key force that allows them to overcome obstacles or defeat the antagonist.
Predictable Plot Twist / Villain Reveal
A Predictable Plot Twist or Villain Reveal is a narrative turn that is so heavily foreshadowed or reliant on genre cliches that the audience can easily guess it ahead of time.
Prison Breaks
A Prison Break is a plot sequence focused on the planning and execution of an escape from a jail or prison, used to create high-stakes tension and showcase character ingenuity.
Prison Narrative Cliches
Prison Narrative Cliches are standard, often predictable, elements within a prison setting, such as the wise old inmate mentor, the territorial rival, and the brutal guard.
Prophecy
A Prophecy is a plot-driving prediction about the future, often delivered by an oracle, which dictates or influences the hero's destiny and the course of the story.
The Quest
The Quest is a fundamental plot structure where a hero or group of heroes must journey to a specific location to achieve a goal, such as finding a magical object or defeating a villain.
Race Against Time
A Race Against Time is a plot device that creates suspense by giving the characters a strict deadline to complete their task before a catastrophic event occurs.
Rake with a Hidden Heart of Gold / Rake Redeemed
A Rake with a Hidden Heart of Gold is an archetypal male character, usually in historical romance, who is a charming womanizer but is ultimately revealed to have a good heart or is redeemed by the love of a good woman.
Rebel Leader
A Rebel Leader is the charismatic and often flawed head of a resistance movement fighting against an oppressive regime, serving as a symbol of hope and a key strategist for the heroes.
Rebellious Princess
A Rebellious Princess is an archetype of a princess who chafes against the restrictive rules of her royal life, seeking freedom, adventure, or the right to make her own choices.
Rebound Hookups as Self-Actualization
The Rebound Hookups as Self-Actualization trope is one where a character engages in a series of casual sexual encounters after a breakup, presented as a journey of self-discovery and empowerment, though often shown to be more complicated.
Rebuilding Civilization
Rebuilding Civilization is a common post-apocalyptic or historical trope where the narrative focuses on the survivors' efforts to create a new, functional society from the ashes of the old one.
Redemption Arc / Redemption Quest
A Redemption Arc is a character's journey to atone for past wrongdoings, moving from a state of guilt or villainy towards becoming a better person or a hero.
Redemption Through Romance / Fairy Tale Ending
Redemption Through Romance is a narrative resolution where a character's redemption or happiness is achieved primarily through finding a romantic partner, often culminating in a traditional, idealized happy ending.
Reformed Rake
A Reformed Rake is a former womanizer or scoundrel who has changed his ways, typically because of the transformative power of love for the heroine.
Reformed Urchin / Scoundrel
A Reformed Urchin or Scoundrel is a character from a poor or criminal background who, through the course of the story, evolves into a noble and heroic figure.
Reluctant Hero / Leader
A Reluctant Hero or Leader is a protagonist who is thrust into a position of heroism or leadership against their will and must overcome their self-doubt and desire for a normal life to accept their responsibility.
Rescue Romance
A Rescue Romance is a plot where a romance begins after one character rescues the other from a dangerous situation, with gratitude and admiration forming the initial basis for their attraction.
Romantic Setting as a Cure
The Romantic Setting as a Cure is the trope where characters believe that a trip to a famously romantic location will magically fix the deep-seated problems in their relationship.
Sabotage
Sabotage is a plot element where an antagonist or traitor deliberately undermines the heroes' plans, equipment, or relationships from within to ensure their failure.
Scheming Villain
A Scheming Villain is an antagonist who relies on manipulation, intricate plans, and political maneuvering to achieve their goals, rather than brute force.
Second Chance Romance
A Second Chance Romance is a plot centered on two people who were previously in a relationship, broke up, and are now getting a second opportunity to make it work.
Secret Child Trope
The Secret Child Trope is a dramatic plot twist where it is revealed that a character has a child they were unaware of, drastically changing their life and relationships.
Secret Identity
A Secret Identity is a character who leads a double life, maintaining a secret persona (often a superhero or a spy) that is hidden from their friends, family, and the public.
Secret Keeper
A Secret Keeper is a character who holds a crucial secret for another, with their struggle to maintain that secret often creating narrative tension and moral conflict.
Secret Mentor
A Secret Mentor is a mentor figure whose true purpose or identity is hidden, guiding the protagonist through covert means or for a mysterious agenda.
Secret Relative
A Secret Relative is a plot twist revealing that two characters are secretly related, which recontextualizes their entire relationship.
Sex as Escape
Sex as Escape is the thematic use of sexual encounters as a way for a character to avoid dealing with emotional pain, trauma, or difficult life circumstances.
Sheltered-but-Feisty Heroine
A Sheltered-but-Feisty Heroine is an archetype of a female protagonist who has lived a protected, naive life but possesses a spirited and determined nature that emerges when she is faced with challenges.
Ship as Microcosm
A Ship as Microcosm is a setting trope where a ship's confined community of passengers and crew is used as a miniature representation of society at large, allowing the story to explore social dynamics in a condensed environment.
Sibling Rivalry
Sibling Rivalry is a conflict between siblings, often driven by jealousy, competition for parental affection, or a dispute over inheritance, which serves as a primary source of family drama.
Sickly Heroine
The Sickly Heroine is a classic trope, particularly in historical fiction, featuring a female protagonist who suffers from a chronic illness or frailty, with her story often focused on her struggle for agency and life despite her physical limitations.
Socially Awkward Heroine
A Socially Awkward Heroine is a female protagonist who struggles with social interactions, often due to shyness, anxiety, or being neurodivergent, with her journey often involving finding acceptance for who she is.
Southern Gothic
Southern Gothic is a literary genre and setting trope characterized by a focus on the American South, featuring grotesque events, damaged characters, and a decaying or sinister atmosphere to explore social issues and the dark side of human nature.
Spirited, Headstrong Heroine
A Spirited, Headstrong Heroine is a female protagonist who is independent, outspoken, and refuses to conform to societal expectations, with her strong will often driving the plot and creating conflict.
Standing On My Own Two Feet
The Standing On My Own Two Feet trope is a thematic arc where a character, often after a period of dependence or loss, learns to become self-sufficient and find strength within themselves rather than from external sources.
Star-Crossed Lovers
Star-Crossed Lovers are a romantic pairing whose relationship is doomed or thwarted by external forces beyond their control, such as feuding families, social class, or fate itself.
The Steady Fall (Relationship Archetype)
The Steady Fall is a type of romantic partner who provides stability and safety for the protagonist during a tumultuous time, often seen as a reliable but potentially unexciting option.
Sudden Death of Love Interest
The Sudden Death of a Love Interest is a tragic plot twist where a character's romantic partner dies unexpectedly, serving as a powerful catalyst for the protagonist's grief, motivation, or transformation.
Supportive Friend / Husband
A Supportive Friend or Husband is a stock character whose main function is to provide unwavering emotional and practical support to the protagonist, often acting as their confidant and cheerleader.
Suppressed Genius / Unrecognized Sister
The Suppressed Genius or Unrecognized Sister trope is about a hypothetical brilliant female character whose genius is stifled and goes unrecognized by a patriarchal society that denies her opportunities.
Telling, Not Showing
Telling, Not Showing is a common narrative weakness where the author summarizes events or states a character's emotions directly instead of demonstrating them through action, dialogue, and sensory details.
Therapy Epiphany
A Therapy Epiphany is a scene where a character has a major breakthrough or realization during a therapy session, which serves to articulate the story's psychological themes and propel the character's growth.
Thief with a Heart of Gold
A Thief with a Heart of Gold is an anti-hero who is a skilled criminal but operates by a personal code of honor, often stealing from the rich or corrupt and showing kindness to the downtrodden.
Ticking Clock
A Ticking Clock is a plot device where the characters have a limited amount of time to complete a task before a negative consequence occurs, used to create suspense and urgency.
Tragic Backstory
A Tragic Backstory is a character's history of suffering, loss, or trauma that is used to explain their current personality, motivations, and flaws.
Traitor in Plain Sight
A Traitor in Plain Sight is a plot twist where a character who has been a trusted friend or ally to the protagonist is revealed to have been secretly working for the enemy all along.
Trope Overload
Trope Overload is the use of so many familiar tropes and cliches in one story that it begins to feel unoriginal, predictable, and formulaic.
Trying Everything Once
The Trying Everything Once trope is a character arc where the protagonist decides to experience a wide range of new, often risky, things as a way to discover themselves or feel alive.
Two Solitudes (Relationship Dynamic)
Two Solitudes is a relationship between two people who are emotionally close yet fundamentally unable to understand or connect with each other, creating a dynamic of poignant isolation.
Unavailable Mysterious Guy
An Unavailable Mysterious Guy is a romantic archetype of a man who is enigmatic and emotionally distant, with his unavailability and mysterious nature being a core part of his allure for the protagonist.
Unnecessary Prologue
An Unnecessary Prologue is a prologue that provides information that is either not essential to the story or could be more effectively integrated into the main narrative, thus slowing the story's opening.
Unreliable Narrator
The unreliable narrator trope features a storyteller whose credibility is compromised due to factors like mental instability, personal bias, limited knowledge, or deliberate deception, forcing readers to question the truth of events and piece together the real story from contradictory or suspicious details.
Unrequited Love
Unrequited Love is a story or subplot centered on a character's love for someone who does not love them back, exploring themes of longing, heartbreak, and self-worth.
Villain Monologue
A Villain Monologue is a cliche where the antagonist, upon capturing the hero, delivers a lengthy speech explaining their evil plan in detail, conveniently giving the hero time to escape or be rescued.
Violent Climax
A Violent Climax is the story's peak of action, which is resolved through a large-scale, violent confrontation such as a shootout, a battle, or a final duel.
The Village at the Crossroads
The Village at the Crossroads is a classic fantasy setting of a small, seemingly insignificant village that becomes a focal point for major events because of its strategic location.
War-Damaged Expatriate
A War-Damaged Expatriate is a character who, after being traumatized by war, leaves their home country to live abroad, often searching for meaning or escape in a community of similarly disillusioned individuals.
Warrior Princess
A Warrior Princess is an archetype of a princess who is also a skilled and formidable fighter, rejecting a passive role to actively participate in battles and defend her kingdom.
Well-Meaning but Flawed Protagonist
A Well-Meaning but Flawed Protagonist is a hero whose good intentions are often undermined by their own significant character flaws, such as naivety or poor judgment, leading to negative consequences.
Wise Elder Archetype
A Wise Elder Archetype is a character, typically of advanced age, who provides guidance, wisdom, and historical perspective to the protagonist and their community.
Wise Mentor
A Wise Mentor is a character, often older, who takes the protagonist under their wing to train them, impart crucial knowledge, and guide them on their journey.
Wise Mystical Creature
A Wise Mystical Creature is a non-human character, such as a dragon or a talking animal, that possesses ancient wisdom and offers cryptic guidance or prophecies to the hero.
Woman Finding Herself
Woman Finding Herself is a common character arc where a female protagonist, often after a life-changing event, embarks on a journey to discover her true identity, desires, and purpose.
Wounded Warrior / Bodyguard With a Past
A Wounded Warrior or Bodyguard With a Past is an archetypal hero, often in a protective role, who is highly skilled in combat but is emotionally scarred by a past trauma, with their journey involving both protecting others and healing themselves.
Work-Obsessed Loner
A Work-Obsessed Loner is a character who is completely dedicated to their work to the exclusion of personal relationships, often using their profession as a shield against emotional connection.
The Younger Lover
The Younger Lover is a romantic partner who is significantly younger than the protagonist, with the age difference often creating conflict, social commentary, or a dynamic of rejuvenation and experience.